Welcome to my blog.
I live in and write about Key West. If you have been here, that’s enough said. If you’ve never been in Key West, all I can say is use your imagination and then some, and you might almost understand.
I look forward to hearing from you and receiving your comments.

Junior Bender may be the smartest guy in Tinseltown, and he’s well aware of it.
Living in a different motel every night, and with ears turned to the proverbial
ground, Junior is always one step ahead of everyone. You see, Junior Bender is
a very talented burglar. He’s the sort who knows the difference between a real
Paul Klee and a real bad deal. But LA’s smug prince of thieves is about to find
himself stuck with just that: a deal so raw that even a ravenous guard dog
would turn up its nose.

After committing a routine burglary involving the aforementioned Klee (which he
was hired to steal) and a diamond necklace (which he just had to have), Junior
thinks he’s pulled the perfect caper once again. This time, he's wrong.

Trey Annunziato, one of the most powerful crime bosses in LA, has caught Junior
on film only to blackmail him into acting as a private investigator on the set
of Trey's new porn flick, which someone keeps trying to sabotage. The star of
Trey's adult movie was formerly America's most beloved child actor, Thistle
Downing. Thistle, now living alone in a drug-induced stupor, is destitute and
uninsurable. Her starring role will be the scandalous fall-from-grace gossip of
rubberneckers across the country. No wonder Trey needs help keeping the
production on track.

Junior knows what he should do—get Thistle out and find her help—but doing the
right thing will land him on the wrong side of LA's scariest mob boss. With the
help of his precocious twelve-year-old daughter, Rina, and his criminal
sidekick, Louie the Lost (an ex-getaway driver who, er, got lost while driving
getaway), Junior has to figure out a miracle solution. Then again, he is supposed
to be the smartest guy in Hollywood.

“JUNIOR BENDER ̶ A CROOK WITH A HEART OF GOLD ̶ IS ONE OF
HALLINAN'S MOST APPEALING HEROES, RICH WITH INVENTION, AND BRIMMING WITH
CLASSIC WIT.”̶
SHADOE STEVENS, LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON

Saturday, October 6, 2012

My friend, and fellow mystery writer, Jochem Vandersteen has just put his novelette "Scoundrel" on Amazon for $1.50. It's a continuation of his long-running Noah Milano series. Below is the cover and the first chapter. It would be a good addition to your eLibrary and, if you are already a fan, a good addition to your Noah Milano collection.

Know you'll like it!

Michael

scoundrel

A Noah Milano Novelette

Copyright 2012 Jochem
Vandersteen

Edited by Sean Dexter

Cover by Big Kiss
Productions

ONE

Marisa Fawkes was
a good-looking young woman in her thirties. I almost wolf-whistled when she
walked into my office. A cascade of brown curls framed a face with smooth skin,
clear blue eyes, full lips and nice teeth. She was also very pregnant.
Good-looking women always got me into trouble, so I should’ve known better and
shouldn’t have taken her case.

She took a seat in
the client chair in front of my desk. I sat down,
too. She told me a story as old as time and one that I'd heard too many
times before. She'd met a handsome young man in a club called Peaches on the Strip. She'd taken him to
her home and they'd had sex. A few months later she found out she was pregnant.
She hadn’t seen this young man since that passionate night, however.

“So you didn’t
exchange phone numbers?” I said.

“He didn’t seem
interested in that,” she said. She blushed.

“And you want me
to track him down?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” It was a
question I always asked.

“I think he should
contribute to the upbringing of my child.”

“Financially, you
mean?”

“At least, yes.”

“You're a big
girl. You knew the risks."

“That bastard told
me he'd had a vasectomy and we didn’t have to worry about me getting pregnant.”

“I hope you at
least got away from this without contracting any diseases.”

She scowled.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you passing judgment on me?”

I held up my
hands. “No, no. I’m in no position to do that, believe me.”

“All right. Listen,
I know what I did was really stupid. I was horny and drunk. That’s a lousy
combination.”

“Amen,” I said.

“I just feel this
bastard should pay for his lies.”

I nodded. “I guess
I can sympathize with that. You’re keeping the baby?”

“Of course I am.
That guy might have turned out to be a bastard, but this is my child, and I’ve been in love with him since I felt his
first kick.” She rubbed her belly.

“Good to hear.
It’s a boy?”

“Yes,” she said.

“Are you married?
Living with someone?” I said.

“No, I didn’t cheat
on anyone when I had sex with that bastard. I know it'll be tough raising this
kid on my own. The least he can do is give me some monetary support.”

Life was
expensive. I knew all about that since I’d severed all ties to my rich, mobster
dad. I could barely pay my own bills, and I didn’t have a kid to provide for.
“Seems logical.”

“About that...
What's your fee? I’m afraid I won’t be able to pay very much right now. I’ve
got a lot of stuff to buy for my baby.”

“Did you already
name the kid?”

“Huh? No... I
haven’t decided on a name yet.”

“Any ideas yet?”

“Not really, no.”

“I’ll make you a
deal, then. If I manage to track down the father you name the kid after me. If
I don’t track him down, it’s on the house.”

She seemed to be
unsure whether I was kidding her. “Really?”

“Dead serious.”

She thought about
that for a while, biting her lip as she did so. “Noah Fawkes. Sounds pretty
good, I guess.”

“Nice to hear,” I
said. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Water would be
nice,” she said.

I got a bottle of
Evian out of the fridge and handed it to her. I filled up my Kermit mug with
coffee and sat down behind my desk again.

“So, we’ve got a
deal. Now, tell me more about this bastard. Do you know his name?”

She took a sip of
water. “He told me his name was Reynard Roberts. I didn’t find him on Facebook
or Myspace, though. In fact, googling him turned up nothing.”

“These search
engines might cost me my job someday,” I said. “Luckily, there still are two or
three people in the world without an internet ID. And of course there are
people who don’t give out their real name. Can you describe what he looks
like?”

“He’s about thirty
I guess. Sandy
hair, shaggy cut. Muscled. About five-ten. Green eyes. He’s got a tattoo of a
spider on his left forearm.”

“Any scars?”

“In fact, he has a
little scar next to his left eye.”

“Okay, that’s
something to work with, I guess. Did he tell you what he does for a living?”

“Not exactly. Just
that he was involved with the entertainment industry.”

Just like about
eighty percent of all the people in LA.

“He came on to you
in the club?”

“Yeah, quite
aggressively really. He offered me a drink and got to the point pretty
quickly.” Tears started to well up in her eyes. “How could I fall for a
sleazebag like that? I feel like a whore when I think about what I did. I
really don’t usually do stuff like that, you know. It’s just... That morning
I’d gotten fired from my job, I used to be a secretary at an accounting firm,
and I just wanted to let off some steam. He offered me that opportunity and some
comfort. He just knew what to say, how to act...”

“A professional ladies
man,” I said.

“Yeah, I guess you
could call him that.”

I offered her a
tissue. She dried her eyes and took a drink of water. I patted her hand.

“Don’t feel bad
about what happened. Sounds like you didn’t stand a chance,” I said. “I’ll
track this guy down, don’t worry.”

Mick Murphy Key West Mystery

A Mick Murphy Mystery

Mickey Murphy Mexican Mystery

Free Range Institution

Free Range Institution, the second in the Mick Murphy Key West Mystery series, is available now. Check out a few chapters at www.michaelhaskins.net, and read the reviews as the come in.

My third in the series, Car Wash Blues, will be available in 2012.

My first Mick Murphy mystery, REVENGE, is now available at Amazon as a trade paperback, Kindle and at Barns&Noble as Nook.

My "lost" Mexican mystery of Murphy in Mexico - Tijuana Weekend - is available as a trade paperback and Kindle at Amazon.com. It is also available on Nook. And sample chapters of all my writing on the website.

There is a list of independent bookstores your can order Free Range Institution from on my website, give them a try.

Thank you.

Free Range Institution

Mick Murphy Key West Mystery

ORDER CHASIN' THE WIND

The hardback edition of "Chasin' the Wind" has a sold out, but the book is available on Amazon.com as a trade paperback and as a Kindle edition.

"Chasin' the Wind" is also available as a audio book from www.booksinmotion.com.

Thank you.

The first Mick Murphy Key West Mystery

"Chasin' the Wind"

“Chasin’ the Wind” nails the colorful and often violent action in both Key West, Florida, and Havana, Cuba. It navigates corruption and small town politics in the southernmost city of the United States. It bumps into a scheme to topple Cuba's communist government, and throws Cuban exiles and military deserters, neurotic federal agents, plus a few unique Key Westers into a brew that promises international repercussions."When officials sworn to uphold the law try to subvert it in Key West, journalist Liam Michael “Mad Mick” Murphy is compelled to react. He and a ragtag group of citizens confront failed justice, but are left with only revenge as an option. Except, perhaps a renegade deal with the Cuban government. Dodging treachery, Mad Mick Murphy goes headlong toward treason, dragging his team of "typical" islanders deeper into the mess they wanted to eliminate.

About Me

I am a mystery writer, living in Key West, Florida. My first novel, "Chasin' the Wind," has sold out. My second Mick Murphy Key West Mystery, "Free Range Institution" came out in Feb. 2011.I have the first two books of my series - REVENGE & Tijuana Weekend - on Amazon as trade paperbacks and on Kindle and Nook.
In this blog, I will write about mystery related subjects, including publishing, festivals, as well as comment on how and why I write,including difficulties and solultions I find. I will mention other mystery writers' books too. I hope to hear from you.
To find out more about me and my writing, go to www.michaelhaskins.net